Refrigerator car and chamber



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

A W. ZIMMERMAN. 1

RBFRIGBRATUR. GAR 0R CHAMBER. l No. 417,801. Patented Dec.- 24, 1889.

wifneSSS @www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARNOLD NV. ZIMMERMN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ZIINIMERMANREFRIGERATOR COMPANY, OF ILLINOIS..

REFRIGERATOR CAR AND CHAMBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,801, dated December24,1889.

Application filed January 26, 1888. Serial" No. 261,981. (No model.l

\ To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARNOLD W. ZIMMER- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRefrigerator Cars and Chambers, which are fully set 'forth in thefollowing' specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof, and in whiehf Figure l is a plan viewof my improved refrigerator-car, having its top removed so as to showthe interior of the ice-chambers. Fig. V2 is an end view of one of theice-chambers as seen from the center of the car, the Various partsbeing' broken away so as to show one part behind the other and the aircirculation, as indicated by the arrows. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, invertical section, ot' one end of a car on a plane taken at any pointbetween the wall nearest the observer and the center of the car, and init are also shown the opposite walls and air-tlues and air circulation,as indicated by the arrows.

Like letters refer to like parts.

The object of my invention is to produce a refrigerator car or chamberin which higher refrigeration may be obtained by means of ice and saltor like frigoritic compound than has heretofore been found practicable,owing to the fact that the difculties which are encountered inrefrigeration by means of ice or refrigerating-mixtures placed in tanksare mainly due to the impossibility under ordinary circumstances ofsecuring a suiiioient circulation of air in the chamber to be cooled,and to the fact that the moisture condenses upon the cold surfaces ofthe tank containing the refrigerating-mixture in a thick layer of frostor snow, so that no matter what degree of cold may be produced withinthe tank the air within the chamber to be cooled is only brought incontact with a surface having the temperature of melting snow.

It is the object of my invention to remedy both these objections bycreating sufliciently strong currents of air in the chamber and bypreventing the deposition of snow or frost upon the heatrabsorbingsurfaces.

The general principles of construction involved in my invention are thefollowing: I construct an ice-tank of any suitable form, which has aninclined bottom. The upper portion of that bottom is perforated, thelower portion imperforate. Beneath and parallel or approximatelyparallel to this inclined bottom I arrange an apron of anysuitablematerial which is a good conductor of heatsay sheet-iron. This apronneither at the upper end nor at the lower end is connected with theice-tank in any way such as to interfere with the passage of air, and isplaced at a suitable distance from the said bottom, such as will leavean air duct or channel between the bottom of the tank and this apron,open at both the upper and the lower end. Below and parallel orapproximately parallel to this apron of cond noting material I place asecond apron of some material which is a non-conductor of heat, such aswood. This is'pl'aeed at a suitable distance from the iirst apron so asto leave a second air duct or channel between the two, also open at topaudbottom. As a result of this construction the air which is in the airducts or channelsis rapidly cooled and flows down and out at the lowerend, thus setting up a current and a circulation ot' air. This currentis materially accelerated by the water and brine-if saltis used on theice-which drops through the upper portion of the bottom which isperforated, and falling on the metallic apron runs down the same anddrops olf the lower edge into a drip-trough. The water, also, whichvcollects in the bottom of the tank and rises to a level with the loweredge of the perforated portion pours through these openings down uponthe apron, and thus acts to accelerate the current of air. lVhen thetank is in a refrigerator-car, the uneven motion of the ear causes thisaction to occur intermittently, and the water swashes over inconsiderable quantities at a time, which has a beneficial iniiuence inproducing the desired air-currents. of air through the ducts or channelsis ot a sufficient rapidity to prevent the deposition of moisture uponthe bottom of the tank or the metallic apron, and the latter are kept inthe most efficient condition for absorbing heat As a consequence, thecurrent IOO from the air-currents; Moreover, this arrangement presents alargel amount of cooling-surface to the air-currents. The metallic apronis kept at a low temperature by its proximity to the ice-tank, andespecially by the constant dripping upon it of the brine, and the airhas access to both sides of the apron. Thus is produced a doublelcurrent of air, which is rapidly cooled and delivered in a united streamfrom the lower mouths of the air ducts or channels and `tl'ows out intothe chamber which is to be refrigerated.

I will now specifically describe a construction which shall embody theprinciples and accomplish the objects above set out.

' At each end of the room or car a, I suspend under the roof, on beams7L, ory cleats, or other like device, kan ice-tank c, having a shortfront wall g and a long back wall 'c2 c3 of which the upper part c2 isformed of open vwire-cloth or perforated sheet metal, and the lower partc3 of galvanized sheet-iron. To the said front and back walls and sidesof the tank is attached a slanting bottom, of which the lower part o0 isformed of sheet metal and the upper part c of wire-cloth meshes orperforated sheet metal. The sides c10 are preferably solid sheet metalthroughout, but their upper parts may also be made of open-work, if sodesired, down to on about a line with the lower end of the wire-clothc2, and through said openings, when employed, a free-air circulation maybe obtained from the storagechamber directly upon the ice, whereby saidair is deprived of all its acquired moisture,

and is, at the same time, cooled down to the lowestvpossible pointattainable from the refrigerating agent.

The lower ends of the sides om and the back c3 and the bottom o0 form awater-tight tank, which has an outlet e9, placed in one corner near orat the lowest point of the bottom to let out the water. Said outlet isopened and closed by means of a cock c5 passing through the corner tubec4.

The water derived from the ice may be drained ont through an opening 09,closed by the cock c5, into the pipe c6, and said pipe c5 passes throughthe drip-pipe cg, which latter passes through the bottom of and therebyserves to discharge the water from the driptrough c7. By thisconstruction the drain and drip .pipes are placed in the most efficientposition, and at the same time are the most effect'ually out of the wayfrom injury, and by the one passing through the other they each givesupport and strength to the other, and are strengthened by the parts towhich they are attached.

A short distance (one to several inches) below the bottom 00 c', andabout parallel with it, is a sheet-lnetal apron d, extending about asfar as the side walls c10 on the sides, and from the back wall c3 to thefront wall g', which is preferably suspended from the icetank; and atabout a like distance below said apron CZ is supported an aprone, ofwood or other non-conducting material, also about parallel with theapron d and bottom o0 c. Said apron e extends back to about over andsome distance above the center of the driptrough c7, which is placedagainst or near the end wall of the room, and at the front it extends toor somewhat beyond the wall g', and fits closely against the side wallsof the car, where it rests on cleats f. The drip-trough c7 is made wideand deep and inclined to one side of the room, and in its lower end isplaced a discharge-pipe o8, leaving an annular space between it and thepipe c6 to let out the water caught on the aprons d and e, anddischarged int-o the said trough.

i By providing two aprons d and e, and making the outer one of wood orother non-conducting material, all condensation vand therefore drippingfrom-the outer or underside of said apron d into the storage-roomk isprevented.

The apron e acts as a roof to catch and discharge all dripping waterinto the drip-trough, andl said apron e, by reason of its being both anon-conductor and itting to the side walls of the storage-room andclosely to the driptrough at its lower edge, and the upper edge thereofextending` high up and to nearthe top of the storage-room, betweentemperatures of wide difference, gives excellent inducement for strongcurrents of air circulation moving as shown by the arrows. `One or moreholes g may also be cut in the top of the front wall g so as to allow acirculation of air through them directly upon the ice.

Around the outside of the side wallsc10 and back wall c2 c3 there is anair-space for the free circulation of air around. -and into theice-tank, as indicated by the arrows, which, after cooling to the fullcapacity of the refrigerating agent, descends through saidairspaces, andthereby aids and increases the current formed and directed by the aprone. It is not necessary, however, for the operation of my invention thatthere should be such openings as these, since the unaided action of theair ducts or channels, as' previously described, is sufficient to set upa circulation of air in the chamber or car and bring all of it incontact with the refrigerating-surfaces.

In practice the ice-tank is illed from the top through the opening Z9.Vhen a greater degree ot cold is desired than can be obtained frommelting ice alone, salt or other frigoriic substances may be used uponthe ice. As the ice melts, the water therefrom fills the lower andwater-tight part-of the tank and overows it through the lower openingsin c', which are placed a little lower Vthan the lower edge of thewire-cloth c2 in the back wall of the tank, so as to cause the coldliquid to splash upon the apron d, and thereby flow over a largesurface, and also to thereby at the same time agitate the air, both byits motion in the tank and :its flow on the apron, and thereby, further,both by its cold temperature and motion, cause and augment the cold-aircirculation due to the construction herein shown. The air-space betweenthe tank-bottom e0 and apron (l would soon 'lill up with ice formedlfrom the moisture, as before mentioned, but for the rapidity of thecurrents produced and the fact that by the overflow of the brine orliquid over the upper edge of the bottom e0, the said space is keptclear and the air-currents uninterrupted.

It is a well-known fact that the `moisture condensing, and thus formingthick frost on the outside of a closed sheet-metal ice-tank, forms sucha good non-conductor that no greater degree of cold can be secured inthe storage-room than that of melting ice, no matter how powerful thefrigorific agent within it may be, as the force of the greater degree ofcold is expended in forming the frost on outside of the tank obtainedfrom the moisture in the refrigerating-chamber; but by the constructionherein shown anddescribed the air has direct access to the barefrigoriiic substance at all times, which the circulating air is bound tofind and to the water or brine ilowing through the perforations in thebottom of theice-tank and dripping` on the metallic apron, so that bythis construction and generation of air-currents the storageroom can bequickly and permanently cooled to the full temperature of any frigoriiicagent, which may be very far below the freezingpoint. The water ruimingfrom the melting ice which rests on the meshes of the bottom c formsicicles between the said bottom and the apron d, which said iciclestogether form a very large area of ice-surface, against which thewarm-air currents from above impinge in their downward passage and aredivided into numerous small currents, which are thus quickly andcompletely cooled and deprived of their moisture, and which then pass onuninterrupted through the aforesaid clear space under the bottom e0 andout into the storage-room.

That I claim isl. In a refrigerator-ear, an ice-tank suspended from theceiling in such a manner as to leave between said ice-tank andchamberwalls a free air-space on each side of said tank extending' tothe ceiling, said ice-tank being provided with a short front wall and alongback wall, which, together with the side walls, are connected by aninclined bottom, which latter is perforated in its upper part,

while its lower part, together with thebbaek and side walls of the tank,forms aWater-tight receptacle, a metal apron suspended below andvparallel to said tank-bottom, and a second apron of wood or othernon-conducting material arranged below and parallel to said apron, saidsecond apron being fitted to and supported in the .side walls of theapartment, and a drip-trough under its lower edge, substantially asspecified.-

2. In a refrigerator-car, an ice-tank suspended from the ceiling in sucha manner as to leave between said ice-tank and chamberwalls a freeair-space on each side of said tank extending to the ceiling, saidice-tank being provided with a short front Wall and a long back wall,which, together with the side walls, are connected by an inclinedbottom,

which latter is perforated in its upper part, while iis lower part,together wit-h the back and side walls of the tank, forms a Water-tightreceptacle, a metal apron suspended below and parallel to saidtank-bottom, a second apron of wood or other non-conducting materialarrangedbelow and parallel to said apron, said second apron being iittedto and supported in the walls of the chamber, a drip- `trough under itslower edge, and a drain-pipe from said ice-tank provided with a cock,said drain-pipe being passed through a drip-pipe of said drip-trough,substantially' as speciiied.

3. The combination of an ice-tank having an inclined bottom imperforateat its lower portion and foraminous at its upper portion with aductbeneath it into and through which the drip from the interior of theice-tank and air from the refrigerating-chamber pass, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

4. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of an ice-tank whichhas an inclined bottom imperforate below and foramin'ous above, an apronof conducting material arranged beneath and parallel or approximatelyparallel to the bottom of taid tank, and a second apron ofnon-conducting material arranged below and parallel or approximatelyparallel to the iirst apron, so that there shall be air-duets betweenthese aprons and between the first apron and the bottom of the ice-tank,all substantially as described.

ARNOLD XV. ZIMMERMAN.

Vitnesses:

CHARLES A. RoBINsoN, FRED F. BENNETT.

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